SEDL / STP / STP680-EB / STP34967S

Seed Impregnation with Rhodamine B Dye for Studying Wild Animals

Lindsey, GD
Wildlife biologist and project leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Olympia, Wash

Heebner, CF


Anthony, RM
Zoologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Silviculture Laboratory, Bend, Ore

Evans, J.
Wildlife biologist and project leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Olympia, Wash

Pages: 5    Published: Jun 1979

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Abstract

In recent studies on protective measures for direct seeding of conifers, we developed methods for tracing the consumption of chemically treated and untreated Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seeds by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), and other seed-eating animals in the Pacific Northwest from the time of sowing of seed in the fall until germination in the spring (about five months). We impregnated the seeds with rhodamine B and identified the dye in feces from live and dead animals by alcohol extraction and thin-layer chromatography. The rhodamine B-impregnation, recovery, and identification methods appear promising for use in other studies.